-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In recent days , the South Carolina Republican primary has been referred to as the Super Bowl , ground zero and even `` Armageddon . '' This hyperbole has been matched by the outrageous amount of money being spent here on political TV advertising : $ 11.3 million .

Why ? There is a lot at stake in Saturday 's contest , and the campaigns know it . Without a strong finish , candidates will find that cash , supporters and key endorsements dry up . With it , they 'll live to fight another day . Either way , South Carolina Republicans will most likely continue their tradition of picking the candidate who turns out to be the GOP nominee , something they have done since 1980 .

Here is a political primer from an actual South Carolinian who is a veteran of many of these battles :

First : Does the South Carolina GOP primary deserve its reputation as a take-no-prisoners , bare-knuckled battleground , like the media keep saying ? Yes . Post-New Hampshire , my tweet urged the candidates to `` bring their big boy pants . ''

We have a long tradition here of hard-hitting attacks , both on the air and below the radar . This year is no different . We do n't just pick a candidate , we pick presidents here in South Carolina . Most of the campaigning is done in 15 GOP-leaning counties , which account for 80 % of the vote , with a focus on a `` Super Seven '' that make up more than 52 % of the vote . Those seven pit the Upstate social conservatives against the laissez-faire crowd along the Coast .

In South Carolina , we do n't register by parties ; the GOP primary is open to all those who call themselves Republicans . Our voters are a much more diverse group than those in Iowa and New Hampshire . Yes , Christian conservatives dominate the GOP here , but victory in South Carolina means you have successfully appealed to a wide variety of Republican concerns . It means you have the support of fiscal conservatives -LRB- Coast and Upstate -RRB- , social conservatives -LRB- Upstate and all around -RRB- , transplanted retirees -LRB- Upstate and Coastal Low Country -RRB- , business owners -LRB- Statewide -RRB- and veterans -LRB- Midlands and Coast -RRB- .

Yes , many of us do cling to our Bibles , our guns , and also to our status as a right-to-work state .

We are not big fans of the federal government . -LRB- Example : The National Labor Relations Board recently tried to prevent Boeing from building a multibillion-dollar plant in Charleston that would create thousands of jobs because the board 's counsel said Boeing was punishing workers in Washington state for union activity ; the NLRB has since dropped the case . -RRB- But I would be lying if I said the majority of South Carolina GOP voters are strongly anti-government . Most here think there is a role for the government , but we disagree on just how big it should be .

Like everywhere else , the key issue here is jobs . Yes , social issues matter a lot to voters . Immigration reform matters . Taxes and defense issues matter . But jobs and economic development matter most in 2012 . Our 9.9 % statewide unemployment puts us ahead of the national average and is partially due to a lack of jobs in rural areas . And yet , other areas are doing fairly well .

Consider that this past week , BMW announced a new $ 900 million investment that is expected to bring 300 new jobs , for starters , to Spartanburg in the Upstate . Along with the German automaker , we are also home to Michelin , Hitachi , Boeing -LRB- no thanks to the NLRB -RRB- , Milliken and many other manufacturers . We have thousands of small-business owners who take personal and professional risks every single day , creating jobs and opportunities for their families and communities .

It is against this backdrop that close to 400,000 voters will cast their ballots Saturday . Each is really focused on one overriding theme : beating President Obama . They will come from across the GOP spectrum , not just those hard-core ideologues that seem to make the most news .

To give you an example , consider that on Sunday , Mitt Romney secured the endorsement of The Greenville News , in the heart of the social conservatives . Jon Huntsman , before dropping out of the race , received the endorsement of The State , of Columbia . Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich are doing their best to recover from missteps and misstatements , and , well , Ron Paul is Ron Paul .

And of course , Rick Santorum is hoping to somehow capitalize on the support of the faith-based community after a conclave of evangelical leaders in Texas threw their support to him this past weekend . This will be more difficult with Perry and Gingrich still in the race , splitting the evangelical vote .

As for results , barring a major mistake , I think Romney -- who is , and has consistently been , running well ahead of his rivals -- will be the last man standing here Saturday night . And once again , South Carolina will have done her job .

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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Hollis Felkel .

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Hollis Felkel : South Carolina primary winner historically ends up with GOP presidential nod

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He says GOP there dominated by Christian conservatives , but engaged on diverse issues

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He says right-to-work , immigration , tax and defense issues matter , but mostly jobs

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Felkel : Regions of state may differ on candidates , but GOP united on wanting to beat Obama